Sesame Street and The USO Partner for Second Consecutive Year to Bring Elmo and Friends to Military Families Overseas

Washington, D.C. September 15, 2009
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, has once again partnered with the USO to bring The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families to 20 U.S. military installations in the U.K., Europe, Hawaii and Alaska.  The free traveling tour kicked off on September 8^th at Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the UK and features a live Muppet performance and giveaways from both Sesame Workshop and the USO.

The tour, produced in partnership with VEE Corporation, is part of Sesame Workshop’s Talk, Listen, Connect initiative, the military outreach program that launched in 2006.  This bi-lingual, multimedia initiative provides support and offers significant resources for military families with young children between the ages of 2 and 5 experiencing the effects of deployments, multiple deployments or when a parent returns home changed due to a combat related injury.  In fall 2008, phase one of the tour traveled to 42 military installations in 23 states and performed 106 shows for 76,000 service members and their families. 

“Sesame Workshop is proud of its ongoing commitment to serving the needs of military families and we are thrilled to partner with our good friends at the USO to bring Elmo and all of his friends to military families overseas,” said Gary E. Knell, Sesame Workshop’s President and CEO.  “The U.S. tour last fall was a huge success and further underscored the need for resources to help military families cope with the challenges of deployment.  This is our humble way of saying thank you to all the moms and dads in our armed forces for their commitment to all of us.”

“The USO is thrilled to continue its partnership with Sesame Workshop and launch the next phase of such an amazing initiative.” said Sloan Gibson, USO President.  “All you have to do is watch the faces of the children during a performance to know that this is something truly wonderful.  Deployments are the new norm for America's military and they're tough on those left behind.  Programs like this lift the spirits of our nation's military families and let them know we appreciate them.”

USO TOUR SCHEDULE

*Tour dates are subject to change.  Please visit www.sesamestreet.org/tlc or www.uso.org for the most up-to-date tour information.

About Sesame Workshop

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street.  As the single largest informal educator of young children, local Sesame Street programs produced in countries as diverse as South Africa, Bangladesh and India are making a difference in over 120 nations.  Using proprietary research to create engaging and enriching content, Sesame Workshop produces programs such as Dragon Tales and Pinky Dinky Doo.  In addition, multimedia needs-driven initiatives providefamilies tools for addressing such issues as children’s health, military deployment and emergency preparedness.   As a nonprofit, product proceeds and philanthropic donations support Sesame Workshop’s educational research and creative content for children around the world.  Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org.

About the USO

The USO (United Service Organizations) lifts the spirits of America’s armed forces and their families.  We provide a touch of home to troops wherever they serve through centers at airports and military bases around the world, top quality entertainment and innovative programs and services tailored to meet the needs of troops and their families.  The USO is not a government agency and relies on the generosity of the American people.  The USO is also supported by Worldwide Strategic Partners AT&T Inc., BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Gallery Furniture, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, S & K Sales Co. and TriWest Healthcare Alliance.  Other corporate donors, including the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381), have joined millions of individual donors to support the USO.  For more information, please visit www.uso.org.

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